Shadow
by ChocolateIsLife96
Summary: Anna lived a quiet life in England in the middle of the countryside, until her mum died. This left Anna alone and bored with a long future ahead of her. You see Anna's mum made an agreement with Hades to keep Anna alive and well...Forever. So Anna left for America and as she was a writer she could put up shop anywhere in the world, she chose Manhattan to settle in 2012.
1. Chapter 1

Anna was born a normal child, she liked to play dress up with mummy and watch TV with daddy and stay up after her 8 o'clock bedtime. She was however born to parents Dalia and Cale, Dalia was a witch and Cale a mortal, Dalia only practised recreationally and lived a mostly normal life with her family.

She grew up with a mother that liked to practice magic a lot, and much of it was dark and scary, Dalia learned a lot of what not to do from her mother and when her mother died ,laughing while coughing up blood from chain smoking her entire life, she decided she would live a different life to what her mother wanted for her. So she opened up a bakery, on the side she sold some herbal medicines that could be considered mild potions, where worked hard to make a living instead of living the lavish life off of her inheritance, their she met Cale and they fell in love and had their beautiful daughter Anna.

They lived a happy life, they had a cottage in the little village where Dalia's bakery was located and Cale worked from home so he could look after Anna when she wasn't at school. They were both content and thinking about having another baby, but life was cruel.

Anna was 9 and they were driving down the motorway towards home after going out for ice cream and a movie when a van plowed into the right side of their car at a speed where they had no chance. The car flipped so much that luckily it ended upright. But the damage was already done.

The impact hit straight into the right side, killing Cale almost instantly. Dalia was face smashed into her window and her nose broke. But little nine year old Anna was bleeding out, glass sticking out of her body. She was fading, fast.

Dalia felt the world around her as if in slow motion, she turned to her husband, his eyes were frozen in shock, and his neck bent at a right angle. Her head turned to look at her daughter who seemed to have shattered glass littering her body where she was almost unrecognisable.

Dalia whaled in rage and despair.

Dalia through her grief and mourning refused to loose her daughter and her husband in the same night, she knew what she had to do.

Dalia carried out a ritual that was considered a sin in the magical world, and would cause both Dalia and her family to be outcast from any and all witch gatherings, and if caught using magic by another witch or wizard she would be executed immediately. These thoughts flashed through Dalia's eyes as she pulled her daughter from the crash site, she simply did not care about anything but Anna anymore.

The other driver had got out and was puking on the side of the road on his knees, clearly drunk out of his mind.

He caused the death of her husband, needlessly, and was going to cause the death of her daughter if she did nothing. Dalia did not hesitate as she drew out her small knife, that she carried to chop herbs and spices, and lay her daughter nearby the drunk man.

She then stormed towards the man yanked his head back, almost snapping his neck, and slit his throat.

As he was choking on his own blood and clenching at his throat, attempting to staunch the bleeding, Dalia dragged him over to little Anna's prone body, that lay as still as the dead, which she was just moments from joining.

And bathed Anna in the mans blood, gushing quickly from his throat in rivers, covering her from head to toe, she whispered "My mother was a dark witch, i promised not to follow in her footsteps...oh well." Dalia was composed and resolved to carrying out the ritual to save her daughter and she began to chant.

"I offer the life of this murderer in place of the life of my daughter, I offer him in her stead. He shall take her place in death. She shall never feel this pain again and she shall never die. I call upon the mother, the father, heed these words of this grieving mother. Give my daughter sanctuary from death, keep her safe always."

A storm began brewing in the sky. The night fell quickly as if it always was. Thunder cracked through the air, then began fermenting the ground around Dalia, Anna and the dead stranger. It cracked around them in a perfect circle.

Manically she added "NEVER WILL SHE DIE, NEVER WILL SHE FEEL PAIN! SHE WILL ALWAYS BE FREE! SHE WILL ALWAYS BE FREE.I offer the blood of this man and the life of mine. I will serve any who heeds my words, the first to comply with my wish will be the one i worship and live for. My soul is yours once my life ends but my daughters will be her own. Forever."

Dalia knew her blood was a rarity, her and her daughter the last of her ancient bloodline. The Quarths once ruled with an iron fist, giving and taking whenever it suited them.

Their blood so strong in power that wealth was an inevitability. They decided in their death they would not leave this earth as was meant, they created a powerful potion that when dying a Quarth, and only a Quarth could drink and be sent to another life, just as powerful and wealthy. Once drinking the potion the Quarth would forever be reborn, over and over, wealthy and powerful. Never would their soul move on to the after life. Truly they were cheating death, this made any and all gods very unhappy.

To give the soul of a Quarth to any deity was a bountiful treasure and it seemed the gods were fighting for the chance at taking it.

Thunder screamed in the sky, fire erupted from the ground. The sun fought for dominance over the moon as did day and night.

Animals of all sorts came from all angles as rain burst from the sky. Most notably however was the hell fire that licked the edges of the circle of lightning, eventually seeping in to the circle and claiming the prize of a Quarth soul.

All in the vicinity were transported to the underworld where Hades ruled as King. Mother, father, daughter and stranger all woke in the underworld.

The Stranger woke first choking, chained to a rock, he struggled to get free but could not see an end or beginning to the chain wrapped around his arms, legs and throat. He knew instinctively he could not die, but would continue to choke and struggle until he was released.

Dalia and Cale woke at the same time and pulled together and cried in each others arms, clutching at one another as if to stop them from breaking.

Hades looked on with excitement, waiting impatiently for the last of their party to awake.

Finally Anna slowly woke up. Pain encompassing her entire body, as she was still technically alive and could feel earthly pain, she screamed like a banshee, undeniable and overbearing, Cale and Dalia swarmed her, Cale began rocking her back and forth, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

Dalia stood with a strength she did not feel, she too was human still and hurt, but she stood tall and strong and spoke clearly to Hades.

"My terms, good sir are as thus, my daughter never dies, and will always be free. she cannot be harmed or trapped. She moves freely, forever. Then, when i die a NATURAL death," she emphasised "I shall allow you to collect my soul." she finished.

Hades listened with bated breath, immediately agreeing to her terms once she finished her speech.

"Yes, yes" he drawled in a low voice. "I shall keep your daughter safe forevermore in exchange for your soul. Agreed?"

He held out his hand, the hand of death that once shaken cannot be undone.

Dalia held back a moment "...there is the matter of my husband" Hades stopped her with a grim look on his face.

"Death cannot be undone, your husband is dead and therefore cannot be brought back to life, i cannot agree to this..."

"Wait." Dalia rushed "I know this, i am not asking for him back, just that you keep him comfortable until i die and then we are allowed to reunite in death. Agreed?"

Hades beamed a million watt smile "of course!" he chuckled "i was always going to reunite you two lovebirds, you will be comfortable here after death, that i swear, i do not collect your soul for torture dear Quarth, mainly to have something over my siblings, to have something in my possession that they could never hope to obtain is all the torture i need to bestow, they will all be ripe with jealousy and anger for aeons to come. I will find you both a place in my court. To show you off as well as so you do not get bored."

Cale, Dalia and Hades smiled in agreement and Dalia gratefully shook Hades hand with a gentle grip and a thankful smile.

And with a loud crash Dalia and Anna were returned to earth.

They woke on their sofa, cuddling with not a hair out of place. Both looked around in wonder. The news was playing in front of them on the TV. A ken doll looking man spoke "In latest local news a man took his life by jumping off of the Redford bridge, instantly killing a man driving home his family from work." A picture of both the stranger and Cale flashed on the screen before Dalia turned it off and gently kissed Anna on the forehead.

Anna cried for hours in Dalia's arms for the death of her father, it petered off into whimpers then stopped at straining breath.

"Mum...what..did...you agree...to do?" Dalia held Anna close to her chest until her breathing returned to normal and she could speak clearly.

"What did you agree to mum?" Dalia pulled away so she could look Anna in the eye and said "I did what i had to do, to keep you safe."

Anna and Dalia spoke at length about the outcome of the crash that almost tore apart their family but neither truly knew the consequences of their actions, not really, all they knew at this point was Dalia's soul would be taken to the underworld at her death and Anna would always be safe.

They did not know the details and were kept in the dark about Hades interpretation of 'forever safe' for Anna, until later in life.


	2. Chapter 2

_**-20 Years Later-**_

Dalia slowly made her way into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, she stood waiting for the kettle to boil, daydreaming while looking out the window. Her life had took a rather dark turn 20 years ago when her husband had died tragically in a violent car crash, and her daughter almost died if it wasn't for their bloodline and Hades striking a bargain for Dalia's soul, Anna would be dead and Dalia would most likely have gone crazy or killed herself. so they made the best of a bad situation.

Dalia was happy to die at any point knowing her Anna was always safe. They had found not only could she not feel pain but no amount of strength or speed could penetrate her skin, Anna had tried many times as a teenager to hurt herself, not to truly hurt herself but she was just curious if she was truly immortal, luckily so far she hadn't stopped ageing. So Dalia was able to watch her little girl grow into the wonderful woman she was becoming. She took after her mother with long dark hair and dark green and brown eyes lighter and darker depending on her mood, and skin as pale as snow, she was ageing slowly so looked more in her early twenties but still she grew and matured, so Dalia was happy.

It was Anna's 29th birthday a week ago, which unfortunately brings back awful memories for Anna, sometimes she has terrible nightmares where she wakes up screaming bloody murder. When she realises it was only a dream she calms quickly and goes through to her mums room to tell her she's okay. Sometimes just to get a good nights rest around this time of year Anna sleeps in the bed with her mother as if she's a child again and her mother can chase away the bad dreams.

For her birthday she took her mother out dancing and they had a wonderful time pretending the rest of the world didn't exist. It was them against the world. They danced the night away forgetting everything else, the past, the future, they stood basking in the present. It was such a wonderful cherished memory both Anna and Dalia would hold dear forever.

The kettle had finally boiled and caused Dalia to wake up from her day dream, at that moment Anna was walking down the path to the house and waved as she saw her mum in the window. Anna lived with her mother still at the family cottage, but spent a lot of her time at the public library for research purposes, she was a writer and liked to find inspiration in her daily life, then research the hell out of it. Once she knew every single thing about her obsession at the time, she began to write about it. Whether it be about pennies or local lore or sleeping patterns, any subject could take her fancy, and she'd write about it until she'd wrung out every single minuscule detail she'd had in mind, then and only then could she relax. It was a gift and a curse, at least it paid. Not that she had any need of money owing to the fact that she was the last in her family and would inherit a lot of money. She still liked to earn a living, just like her mum.

Anna had tried to live under the radar for a long time, keeping her abilities, that she barely understood, quiet.

Anna found out and lived with the knowledge that she had been gifted life by Hades, god of the underworld, when she was just 9 years old. At ten she was climbing a tree and fell from a great height with no injury, she stood up brushed herself off and climbed back up the tree. This is when they found out about her unbreakable body and mind. Hades took the saying 'nothing would hurt her' quite literally. At 12 Anna was invited to a classmates birthday party and the birthday girl was cruel and threw a drink over Anna when she accidentally fell into her. Anna only retaliated by shoving the girl, however with Anna's irregular amount of strength this made the girl go flying through the glass back door, causing the room to burst into chaos, Anna just stood in shock at the consequences of her actions and through the chaos Dalia pulled Anna out of the room and back to the car where they could drive home. Anna blubbered that she was sorry and couldn't stop crying her apologies. This is when they found out about her inhuman strength.

Once home Dalia held Anna close and told her "My beautiful daughter do not be afraid, you are special, you know this. but you must be careful dear girl your abilities can do such wonderful things but also come with responsibility. You must know actions have consequences, and for you my love, more than for others." She kissed her little girls forehead, who was listening intently to her words. "yes mummy, i will be better next time." Anna had determination in her eyes.

She took her mothers words to heart and for years there were no more incidents.

When Anna was 17 she was at a house party, having a good time with her small group of friends, dancing and drinking, with the rest of the world blocked from her mind. Although Anna had unimaginable power she could still come apart under the influence of alcohol, a boy she knew in her class whispered he wasn't feeling well and his head wobbled,his eyes closing and opening slowly as if he was woozy, he leaned on Anna proclaiming he needed some air or he was going to faint. Anna thought she should look after him and took him out for some fresh air. They went towards the woods at the edge of the property and sat by a large willow tree that hung so low it almost covered them from view.

Colin, the boy from her class, breathed deeply, inhaling loudly as if he was coming back to his senses and leaned on Anna's shoulder thanking her for taking care of him.

"Anna, you know me right...from Science class?" Anna laughed and replied "of course i know you, Colin."

"Anna, your so lovely, thank you so much for looking after me i wish i could repay you, your so sweet, and kind and beautiful..."

As he spoke Colin lifted his head and and tilted his lips to Anna's giving her a gentle kiss on the lips that lasted just a few seconds before Anna's brain caught up with her. She pulled away, blushing, that was her first kiss. It was sweet and something she would remember fondly...she thought.

"Colin, if you're feeling better we should head back to the party, maybe one of your friends could take you home, just to be on the safe side."

Colin's eyes lit up in anger. "I kiss you and all you want to do is get me away from you, what am i not good enough for virgin Anna!"

Anna stood sharply in shock. What the Hell? Colin stood before she could walk away ,his woozy drunk act a thing of the past, and shoved her hard against a tree. Digging his arm into her ribs so she couldn't easily escape, his other arm grabbed her chin and in a grip that would bruise anyone else, and he yanked Anna's head back so that he could give her a thorough kiss, Anna wanted to get away, but due to shock her system hadn't quite registered her entire emotions just yet. Colin forced Anna's head around aggressively, so her face was pushed into the tree bark and whispered in her ear all the dirty things he wanted to do to her, and as soon as the pill he'd slipped into her drink began to take affect, he'd drag her body deep into the woods and get started.

As Colin chuckled in her ear Anna broke out of her shock and before he could get back to her lips, pushed him away. Colin fell hard to the floor and was so disorientated it allowed Anna enough time to run back to the party. She ran inside the house and made it to a bathroom, which she locked, then began being sick to purge the night from her body. The alcohol was accepted in to her body with her actions, it was her choice and although it wasn't good for her it couldn't truly harm her, her body would absorb and diminish the affects before it could harm her. However the drugs she was given were not with her consent and would harm her by paralysing her so the body had to cleanse, either quickly through being sick or slowly by dissolving it within and battling inside. Being sick was the easy choice for Anna's body as she was in a situation where she could safely do so. And so she was sick again and again until the pills ,undissolved, were purged. She then quietly crying to herself brought out her phone and called her mum to pick her up.

Dalia rushed to pick up Anna hearing the trouble in her voice, something had happened and she would get to the bottom of it. Once she arrived at the house party she ran up the stairs directly to the bathroom where Anna said it would be and knocked whispering "sweetie it's me let me in, let me in my love..." Anna slowly and carefully opened the door and her mother gently pushed her in and locked the door so they could speak privately. Dalia fell to her knees seeing Anna's broken expression. "What happened?" she demanded. Anna broke at the strength in her mother's voice, allowing her to share her burden, she had never kept anything back from her mum before and wasn't to start now, so she told her mum everything.

Her mother listened patiently. Then gave her another life lesson, "My sweet daughter, this is wrong, what that disgusting male did to you is wrong. We spoke once about the consequences of your actions dear, and how you could use your powers for good yes?" Anna nodded confused at where her mother was going with this.

"So do others' actions have consequences, and should you need to use your powers to protect yourself by hurting someone. That is right, that is good, do you understand my love?"

Anna's face began to clear as she understood her mothers' words. She nodded "should I use my powers against him, stop him from hurting anyone else?" Anna asked innocently, but she was still young and Dalia did not want her to have to hold these burdens just yet. "No pet, i'll handle this one, but if you watch, you will learn." Dalia brushed the hair off of Dalia's forehead and kissed it gently. "I will protect you." So they walked out hand in hand, down the steps and out the front door and stood just slightly off to the side. Dalia asked his name and Anna whispered "Colin Dorse, he's in my class." Dalia nodded and began Colin's punishment.

First she whispered words that brought Colin out of the house, a spell that makes you need nature. He burst out of the house and dropped to the floor by the grassy area of the front garden running his hands through the mud. Once Dalia had confirmed this was the boy from Anna she whispered strong words that would change his future. She was angry and wanted justice for the experience that would sit in the back of her daughters mind for the rest of her long life.

First she decided he would be unable to conceive a baby, he did not deserve offspring. This was a painful process, it destroyed all the semen in his body, slowly and painfully until he was writhing in pain on the floor. Dalia then whispered her final punishment which would put any pain caused previous or future back on him, had he hurt anyone previously, he would feel their pain, had he planned anything horrible for someone he would feel the pain he planned to inflict, he was sick in the mind and so Dalia thought this should be reflected in his body, he would definitely think twice before acting from now on. Hopefully this would be enough. Once Colin had fainted from the pain Dalia asked Anna if she wanted the memory removed from his mind. Anna asked if there was a way to make his disinterested in her and Dalia thought of the spell that would do the trick, anytime Colin would begin thinking of Anna, he'd start to get a headache, and she took the memory of Anna from him; deciding he did not get the privilege of her daughter in his memory. Then, they simply went home. They settled on the sofa with ice cream and a movie and held each other close, allowing the other to just feel the comfort and love of their presence. This is when they found out about Anna's strength of mind, the girl bounced back and took the experience and turned it into a lesson learned, never again would she allow herself to be so vulnerable. She would train, to sharpen her wits, and tone her body. Her body may be strong but Anna did not feel strong, and so she trained her body to help her mind. She went to different lessons of Karate, Jujitsu and Kravmaga, and eventually this helped her live a healthier and more fulfilling life.

Dalia was so proud, at 29 years old her child had learned and grown and she wanted to celebrate her wonderful daughter, so they planned to go on a trip together. They were still undecided but there was no rush, Dalia wanted to visit New York and Anna wanted to visit Rome. They were talking about their trip on the way back from the library one day, Dalia met Anna there after she had finished her weekly book club meeting in a book shop nearby. They had walked in to town earlier and had to wait when the heavens opened up and it began to rain and thunder. Once it had calmed they began a slow stroll arm in arm giggling at each other, giving silly reasons why their trip would be best. "We could worship at the feet of the gods in Rome at The Pantheon." Anna exclaimed, "We could imitate The Statue of Liberty and take pictures, making it look like we're the same size, in New York." Dalia giggled. "We can throw coins in the Trevi fountain and stand by as we meet our true loves." Anna cackled, "We can look across the skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge and amaze at all the tall pointy buildings!" This had Anna almost falling over with laughter. And so they went back and forth playing their silly game to make each other laugh.

When suddenly Dalia was pulled into a nearby alleyway and shoved hard against the wall. Anna quickly followed in the arms of a thug. There were five grown men who smelled like cat piss and death. Anna pulled out of the first mans grip and shoved him away, he hit his head on the wall and collapsed to the ground. A second and third came at Anna from both sides, Anna ran at one and slid behind him as he went to grab her, shoving him so hard in to his buddy they both slammed into the wall and collapsed to the floor. The fourth came at Anna from behind grabbing her around the throat and holding her arms down. Anna knew by now she had no need to breath, so she focused on getting her arms free, she pulled so fast and hard out of the mans grip, he went flying and like his buddies landed in a heap on the ground.

Anna hadn't noticed the last offender had shoved her mother and ran away. Dalia lay in a heap on the ground where she had been thrown. Anna bent by her side and rolled her over, letting out a howl of anguish at the sharp metal sticking out of her mothers throat.

"No! no no no no...NO! Mum, mummy stay with me, don't close your eyes!" She shouted "Help! Somebody help me!" Dalia shushed Anna, brushing her hand across her cheek.

"My love, it's okay, i'm ready. I love you, you must live for me now dear. Do not be sad, live for me." Dalia whispered, blood slowly filling her mouth.

Anna screamed "I'M not ready! I'M not ready!" Dalia smiled "You are love, you are." And with those words her eyes closed for the last time, leaving Anna to live on earth, alone.

Anna screamed like a banshee, undeniable and overbearing then she began rocking Dalia's body back and forth, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, until the police arrived, and Dalia's body was taken away.


	3. Chapter 3

Anna felt a hole in her heart where her mum should be. After the police came and took her statement and the men around were arrested, she went home. On the way she was sick five times, her body just had no energy to cry by the time she made it home, she fell asleep on the sofa almost instantly when she walked through the door.

She didn't know how to go on with her life without her mum, the family cottage felt so hollow to her now, and she used to watch TV with her mum, and watch movies and cuddle on the couch, they used to eat breakfast every morning without fail in the dining room to catch up on each other's lives.

There was no way Anna could stay here and not continuously breakdown in tears whenever she looked at anything that reminded her of her mum...which was everything.

Anna just sat with a duvet wrapped around her and a cup of tea in hand, all day everyday staring at the wall, for a week straight.

Lots of people had brought dinners for Anna as if she was a child and without her mother she would starve to death, although Anna did use these dinners, she didn't tend to finish them as her body was a self sufficient temple, it didn't need any sustenance to thrive. So she picked at the dinners in boredom each night, feeling nothing but emptiness.

One night after a month of acting like a hermit Anna had a dream.

She was in her living room on the single chair and her mum and dad were sitting next to each other on the sofa. They were not happy with her.

"What do you think you are doing young lady?" Her mother frowned at her.

Her father smiled lovingly "hi sweetheart, I miss you, your mother and I love you so much."

Tears of joy rolled silently down Anna's face, until her mother spoke again.

"No we aren't happy with you young lady!" Anna was confused at her mothers words.

"You know your father and I are fine in the underworld, I understand mourning for most normal people, but our deaths are not normal, we are not common folk and we can communicate. Our lives aren't over so your not allowed to act like yours is! I had to settle before I could contact you but i did not expect a shell of my daughter, i expected you to be out living your life like i always told you to do once i died..."

"But mum..." Anna tried to explain, "Don't you but mum me, young lady. From now on you will be happy and..." Her mum interrupted, "...showered." She finished, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

Anna tried to casually sniff herself, making herself feel sick. "Point taken," She conceded with a huff. "But how was i supposed to know i could still communicate with my dead parents, there isn't a manual i could check...you were just...gone." She finished quietly.

Dalia having told her child off now took her in her arms and Cale wrapped his arms around them both. "I missed you both so much." Anna whispered.

Dalia hushed Anna "It's okay my love, we are only a call away. Literally. You just need to say our names and we'll get the message. It will be something like an answering machine so we may not reply instantly, but be patient love and we can communicate as often as you like."

This news brought the biggest feeling of relief to Anna, as if the world had just been lifted off of her shoulders. Bringing new silent tears to her eyes.

Dalia softly took Anna's face in her hands and said "You must live my love, and we'll talk soon." Both parents gently kissed Anna on the forehead, the way they always had since she was a baby, and faded away, smiling.

Anna woke up slowly with a new love of life, the first smile in a month gracing her face. She would live, for her parents. Her mother gave up her soul so she could live so darn it she would. Live to the fullest.

On a whim Anna checked the prices of tickets to New York, where her mum had wanted to visit. She could do all the things her mum never got to and then tell her all about it afterwards, she'd take hundreds of pictures and make loads of videos so her mum would see and watch them and hopefully it would be like she's visiting.

Yep, it was decided, Anna was going to New York.

Anna started by booking a ticket to New York in one weeks time, to allow her to settle any of her affairs so she could go for as long as she liked. Within holiday visa limits of course, Anna wasn't going to become a criminal to realise her mothers dreams. She noted she could stay in New York for up to 90 days before needing a Visa, that was handy. Anna didn't think she'd need any longer than a few weeks but you never know with Anna, when inspiration strikes about certain topics it could take months to get her subject of obsession out of her mind and down on paper.

By the 5th day she had arranged a get together with the people who were close to her mother, as a sort of funeral. This was more for their benefit to show Anna was doing okay, and they didn't have to worry about her. They thought it was a brilliant idea to travel to a place her mum wanted to go. You could see the relief and care on each woman's' face as she told them about her plans, they were just happy she was not letting the death of her mother kill her, they were all really sweet. Anna hugged them all goodbye, before leaving for town, she had a few things she needed to buy for her trip. Nothing major as thanks to her inheritance,ancient Quarth family money, she could buy whatever she wanted when she got their. She felt very lucky.

Anna went into town and bought some summer clothes, it was supposed to be quite hot in New York at this time of year, She also set up a car rental and car insurance, no other insurance necessary what with having a super human body.

Anna bought tones of research books of all the places she wanted to visit and experiences she wanted to have. Her life was going to go on for a long time, or so she was told, so she may as well experience new things as she goes.

Instead of a hotel she rented an Apartment in the heart of New York in the borough of central Manhattan, she could afford it so why not.

It was a swanky one bedroom apartment, she was travelling alone, with a kitchen diner, bathroom with bath and separate shower and a reading/writing room, which was necessary for Anna and her little obsessions. It cost an extortionate amount_,_ but with an extraordinary bank account Anna decided she wouldn't skimp on the luxuries. Now don't misunderstand, Anna didn't do this regularly and wouldn't buy silly things like expensive clothes that have a fancy brand, she just wanted to live comfortably on her trip. And since she was going to live forever, she was never going to run out of money no matter what she spent. So, why not?

When Anna got home she snuggled into the sofa her duvet on top of her and a movie on the TV, the same position she was in before but with a much better mindset before drifting to sleep she whispered "Mum, dad...or do I have to call you Delia and Cale to get through to you?... either way, i'm okay. I'm better today, and getting better everyday, I just thought i'd let you know i'm doing well and not to worry about me, i love you both...so much. Goodnight."

Anna woke suddenly the next morning, jumping up when she heard a pitter pattering of footsteps just outside her window. She hid against the wall and peaked out the curtains, letting out a strong breath of relief when she saw a neighbour dragging bins to the recycling area nearby. She was about to turn around when a hand was violently squeezed against her face completely covering her mouth and nose, possibly hoping she couldn't breath, she then felt the knife press against her throat as she was shoved into the wall. Anna was fed up with being manhandled and she got angry.

She used her martial arts skills to use the assailants weight against them forcing them to crash into the wall beside her and fall to the floor clutching their nose. "Bitch." The man spat through his hands clutching his face.

This was the man who had killed Dalia, this was Anna's mums murderer. Anna saw red.

As she reached for him he said "I'm gonna kill you." Anna laughed maniacally grabbing him with both hands she lifted him in to the air and threw him to the other side of the room. "Not if I kill you first." She calmly replied. She walked over to his prone body and stood over him, with no emotions what so ever she sat his chest, containing his arms so he couldn't get away and held his mouth and nose closed. Whispering "Karma's a bitch." in his ear as he struggled until he slowed to a stop and then...he was dead.

There was a dead man in her living room.

Who had come to kill her. And had recently killed her mother.

Anna puked on the carpet next to the dead body. Retching over and over until there was nothing left in her stomach. She pushed herself into the corner of the room, shivering in shock she rocked herself back and forth with her arms wrapped around her body. She sat this way until an animal crossed...human? showed up in her living room.

The person was humming to themselves as they shoved their fist through the body of the dead man, not physically displacing his body but like she was reaching for his soul.

Anna whispered "Do you work for Hades?" The person shrieked in surprise, abruptly turning, noticing Anna for the first time. "Don't scare me like that!" She, as was clear now, screamed. Her hand placed over her heart as if it was racing in her chest and she was trying to calm it.

She then turned back to the dead man once again reaching inside him, this time finding purchase and pulling his soul from his body. "Yes, that is one of the names the king goes by. Why can you see me? Only the dead or other dark creatures can see me." She replied. It was at this point that the soul of the dead man began fuming. "How dare you, you sneaky little bitch, i'm gonna haunt your ass for the rest of your life, you're gonna get no sleep, you're gonna wish for death!" He screamed.

The lady laughed at him, he couldn't actually move at this point, so his threats were laughable, as he struggled comically to move his feet and arms. He needed an anchor to hold on too to be able to move, which the woman would be. She was their to take him to the underworld and be judged.

The woman turned to him shushing him and bopping him on the nose, one of her powers supposedly, as this caused him to go up in smoke. She then took out a bottle which the soul was automatically sucked into then went to click her fingers to return to the underworld, as if she did this routine everyday. However she looked at Anna, who was just staring at her from the corner, having watched her carry out her duties. She casually walked up to Anna and gently put her hand on her shoulder saying, "best take you to see the king lovey, your an anomaly," and with a whoosh they were transported to the underworld. Anna began heaving again as her head kept spinning. What made her start to pay attention was a surprised and cheerful voice calling out "Anna?" Hades, King of the underworld, remembered her.

"Oh dear, Your mum isn't going to be happy you're here, oh well best get it over with." Hades huffed like an upset teenager about to have to call their mother.

"D!" He called. Delia came traipsing through the door a moment later, dressed in finery and glowing like an Angel. "Yes Had, What's the matt..." She trailed off as she saw the others in the room. She shouted "Cale!" as she ran towards Anna, she began looking at Anna top to bottom, then rotating her, to see any damage on her little girl.

"What are you doing here love?" Dalia questioned, as Cale came running through the door.

Anna burst out crying, "I'm a murderer!" she began blubbering into her mother and fathers arms.

Hades asked what happened and the animal woman gave him her report. She saw it all, knowing in advance who's going to die and where, from the man assaulting Anna to her killing him.

Hades thanked the woman and asked her to dispose of the soul in the pit for later judgement, then as she left he turned to the reunited family.

"Anna," Hades gently began "you were once again protecting yourself. My dear, you did nothing wrong." Once they had all consoled Anna, they went back to the family cottage to assess the damage, Hades disposed of the body and fixed the room so that nothing looked out of place.

For hours later they just sat with tea and had a comfortable chat about their lives, Anna's mum and dad were now famous rulers under Hades and quite good friends already, Cale and Hades were Cal and Had and Dalia was D, they were like a group of old friends. It warmed Anna's heart to see her parents together and happy, and suddenly nothing else mattered.

Anna was happy, she wouldn't let the dead man ruin her life, and that was that. She would move on in her life. This epiphany brought about the end of their catch up, when Hades, Cale and Dalia were all called for a meeting in the underworld and when her mum anxiously asked Anna "Are you going to be okay sweetie?"

Anna could honestly reply with a smile, "Yeah mum, I'm okay, I'll be fine." They hugged and kissed goodbye and...poof, it was as if they were never there and nothing had occurred. Every square inch of the property was spotless, as if it hadn't been touched.

Anna slowly breathed a sigh of relief, she'd be leaving for the airport tomorrow night, and for Anna it couldn't come soon enough.


	4. Chapter4

Anna woke up happy, it was her last day in this house alone for a little while, so much had happened in such a short amount of time, she just wanted to forget for now. She wanted to have a clean slate and some fresh air to feel as if she could breath again and in the house that reminded her about her mother and father that she would no longer see and the man who tried to kill her but instead she killed, It was all too much.

The house would haunt her with the memories, she just had to get away.

Anna started her day by collecting all of her belongings and placing them at the front door ready for later, when she would call a taxi to take her to the airport, the bags piled at the door swallowed the hallway, making the house seem smaller than it truly was, strangely filling the room with stuff gave it more of a homely vibe, as if to be filled with stuff was the same as being filled with people. Anna shook her head and laughed at her odd thoughts, then she carried on floating through her day.

She rifled through her things carefully, checking and double checking she had all the necessary paperwork and belongings that she would need at the beginning, everything else didn't matter as much, but once she was sure she had all of those she relaxed.

She made herself a hot cup of tea, wrapping her hands around the warmth of the cup and breathing in the steam, she then buttered some toast and flopped herself down onto the couch to watch some tv. Anna completely relaxed on her last day, she answered no phone calls, took no visitors, just ... relaxed. She had a soak in the tub, all her muscles un-tensing and her body filling with a comforting warmth. It was at this point she realised she was humming a random tune out loud, this made Anna smile as she would only do this subconsciously when she was comfortable and happy. She ordered Chinese for dinner and slowly ate it, she took her time doing everything, just gently making her way through the day. Once it hit 7pm she got up lazily and called a taxi, when it arrived she stood and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the trip.

As she was triple Checking her luggage, the taxi loudly beeped twice outside, as if trying to wake the neighbours, obviously in a rush to leave. Anna rolled her suitcases outside and opening the boot, carefully placed them in the taxi, the taxi driver seeing she didn't have too much luggage waited inside the car.

The trip in the taxi took a while, the airport was around an hour away from Anna's home and the journey dragged as the silence enveloped the car. Anna tried once to make some conversation, asking how the man's night had been so far, but was shut down with the response of a grunt, he was obviously not a very chatty person. With a scowl on his face and clenched fists around the steering wheel, he ignored Anna's presence entirely, not one word spoken after Anna's attempt at friendliness throughout the hour long journey.

Anna breathed a sigh of relief when they eventually made it to the airport, almost wanting to kiss the ground after what felt like days of boredom.

Once the driver was paid and realised he was getting no tip, i mean really, he chucked Anna's luggage out and sped away. Leaving dust and a shocked Anna in his wake, she couldn't believe the rudeness of the man. Once she'd taken a few calming breaths she walked into the airport to begin the search for her terminal. After the horrible taxi ride Anna just wanted to get on the plane and relax, she wanted to put her feet up, yes she's in first class, let her seat back and forget the world around her existed, until she reached her destination.

However when she walked up to the board showing the terminals Anna could have cried with frustration, her plane was on the other side of the airport. She huffed for a second then, grabbing her luggage, she broke out in a run, gently as she could she squeezed between people who were walking too slow or meandering around aimlessly, as she pushed through throngs of people she kept repeating "sorry, excuse me, thank you," again and again, until she, out of breath made it to her terminal. Huffing and puffing she handed over her ticket to the very amused lady at the desk.

As Anna walked past the woman whispered "take off is in 30 minutes."

Anna looked around horrified, seeing many people walking towards the terminal at a slow stroll, chuckling at the crazy girl who ran past them.

Anna ducked her head walking through, her face as red as a tomato, she couldn't have been more embarrassed.

Reaching the plane, Anna sunk in her seat as the people who were coming in behind her were still chuckling, she began wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Twenty minutes later Anna had regained her confidence and sat up straight. She saw a flight attendant near by and asked her if she could have a bottle of water. The flight attendant was a tall blond who had the expression that she'd smelled something bad, she stopped the conversation hearing the request from Anna and without turning and acknowledging Anna the woman carried on the conversation she was having with a colleague. When she ignored the next three customers Anna had had enough, she would not deal with rudeness from another employee again, first the taxi driver now the flight attendant, enough was enough. Anna stood up and stalked towards the woman, tapping her repeatedly on her shoulder until she turned around.

The woman looked Anna up and down and huffed "Can I help you?" Anna smiled a big cheshire grin and replied in a falsely happy voice.

"Yes in fact you can, you can get me a bottle of water," she then pointed to a woman " you can get this lady a coffee," she moved her finger up a row "you can grab a pillow for this man," she then motioned towards a woman who was near and was panting with fear "and you can get this woman a calming tablet, thank you. If any of us FIRST CLASS PASSENGERS need anything else we'll let you know." The woman just stood in shock for a second until Anna repeated "thank you." In an insistently dismissive tone. The woman woke from her shock, and ran off to comply, obviously hearing the veiled threat in Anna's emphasised words 'first class passengers', as if to say serve us the way we expect with how much we paid or else.

Anna calmed down, once the hostess started performing her duties, and relaxed into her seat. Leaning back and putting her feet up, she closed her eyes and let the world drift away, gently she began to fall asleep.

Anna woke to some turbulence, the rhythmic bumpiness wasn't too scary as it was close to their destination, allowing Anna enough time to go to the toilet and gather her belongings.

Landing went very smoothly, the front flight attendant giving them information then they were quickly herded off of the plane. Anna retrieved her luggage and got a taxi without any delay.

Anna was pleasantly surprised by the taxi ride to her apartment, the driver, Ashan, helped get all her things into the car, he was extremely sweet and friendly, once he found out Anna was coming to New York, Manhattan for the first time he began talking animatedly about all the cool things to do that the tourists don't really know about. They talked about the trip, her life and everything in between. He was such a breath of fresh air for Anna.

Once Anna reached the apartment she paid Ashan his fare and thanking him for the wonderful conversation she added a big tip, the driver gave her his taxi number so that if he's not busy they could catch up when he's taking her wherever she needs to go. She agreed happily and they went their separate ways. Anna thought this was a wonderful start to her holiday, arriving in a much better mood than when she started.

She began to get excited again about this holiday, she was anxious to start exploring. She began unpacking her things and putting them away in the drawers and wardrobe provided. This may be a short stay but Anna wanted the apartment to feel homely and it wasn't going to happen if all her luggage was still packed and she was living out of her suitcases.

Once she was finished she left the apartment to check out places in a five minute vicinity of the apartment, these were the places she'd most likely frequent after adventuring around the city. The apartment was located in central Manhattan so there were lots of different places close by, restaurants, bars, shops, fast food places and many more.

She promised herself she would venture out further tomorrow but today she just wanted a drink and the ability to walk back to her apartment quickly afterwards.

So she began to familiarise herself with the area, she made a little map on her phone of where everything was from her apartment, google maps can be cofusing sometimes and Anna wanted to be prepared for any eventuality like her internet cutting off, better safe than sorry.

And so she began a slow stroll around the area, humming softly to herself as she went, comfortable with her life at this moment.


	5. Chapter5

As Anna walked around her immediate area she found a quaint little wild west themed bar that she just instantly fell in love with.

It's name was Billy's, everything was made of what looked like worn wood, walls, ceilings and floor, the stools at the bar looked like barrels, there were old wheels and lights hanging from the walls and four seater wooden circular tables dotted around the small room, there was even a piano in the corner. Anna was absolutely gobsmacked, the bar was entirely over the top and Anna adored every bit of it.

It was a Tuesday afternoon, although the dark cosy atmosphere made it seem later than that, so there were only a few people in the bar at this time. Anna was happy for this as it gave her a chance to get used to the bar before it got busy, and to get a few drinks in her to build up her confidence so she wasn't an anti-social weirdo when the bar started to fill up.

She took a seat at the bar and asked the bar tender for a vodka and coke. A smile that just would not quit plastered across her face. Receiving her drink she thanked the bar tender and began looking around in wonder.

She heard the bar tender chuckle, so she looked back, he was an older gentleman in what looked like his late sixties, with salt and pepper hair and a thick coarse looking beard, but he had kind eyes and Anna caried on smiling.

"You new to these parts Darlin' ?" He winked.

She laughed "that obvious?" She asked.

He smiled back "I have a good memory, and you've never been in here before. Also your eyes lit up like it was christmas as soon as you walked in the door."

She laughed awkwardly, "I've just started my holiday, and this bar is a fantastic first stop." She smiled, "my apartment is close so I thought I'd look around the immediate area. And this bar is just so beautiful."

They conversed back and forth, he told Anna his name was Billy, and of course this meant he owned the bar, it had always been his dream to own a Wild West themed bar and he was lucky enough in life to have made his dream come true.

Anna told Billy that she was able to do whatever she wanted in life but didn't know what she wanted, so she's travelling to try to find what her dream could be.

They built a fast friendship and just as Anna was saying goodbye to her new friend Billy, a man came crashing through the door.

Shouting "Bartender I'll have a beer, large, keep 'em coming." He then threw himself to the stool next to Anna's. Anna cringed at how loud the man was being and quietly prepared to leave.

"Hi I'm Tony, Tony Stark." He said, turning to her with a knowing grin, as if she should react to this information.

"Anna," she replied with an awkward smile. She then stood to leave, as she walked through the main door she turned back to look at the stranger, feeling sorry for Billy who would have to deal with him.

A man with an eye patch had sat next to this 'Tony Stark' and began to quietly converse with the man. Anna felt relief at this, maybe this man would take care of Tony rather than poor Billy having to.

This was her last thought as she left the bar and began her short but cold trek back to her apartment, the wind howling in her ear. When she got in to her apartment her shivering eventually stopped the warmth of the building enveloping her body and sinking in to her bones.

To make this warmth last, Anna made herself a large cup of hot chocolate and took it to her bedroom, she drank it as she laid in bed and watched tv, thinking to herself, today went well I wonder what tomorrow will be like. She brushed her teeth and dressed in her comfy shorts and loose t-shirt, she fell asleep, a small smile of contentment covering her face as she drifted.

The next day Anna toured Mahattan visiting the wonders of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and of course she strode across the Manhattan bridge, after walked across the entire path end to end she stopped and walked back halfway and just stood there.

She looked out at the beautiful views and closing her eyes took a long deep breath. This was her mum's favourite spot, the bridge last built as a supporting system to the area and the one most overlooked, but oh so beautiful.

Anna felt complete having realised her mother's dream. Although a small feat for others and some may think a silly dream, it was where her mother wanted to go and so it became Anna's dream and now that she had done it, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders and an uncontrollable smile bubble to the surface.

The sky began spouting rain and the wind was blowing harshly, making goosebumps appear all over Anna's body, but nothing could wipe the smile from Anna's face.

She made video after video and took picture after picture, blurting out her experience and adventure so far, sparing no detail, laughing and dancing even when telling about the nastier parts of her trip.

She continued even when the thunder and lightning started, by that time she was the only one crazy enough to be on the bridge still. Since she knew she wasn't going to be hurt, even if she was struck by lightning, she didn't really mind.

After she gave all the details on her experience since she last saw her mum and dad up until this moment, she was soaked through. She gave a goodbye kiss to the camera and shut it off releasing a sigh of content, feeling she'd made her mother proud.

She then skipped off the bridge and cautiously, so as not to soak the floor, entered the nearest coffee shop.

Dripping head to toe, drenched to the bone, she giggled and asked for a large hot chocolate to go, all the staff and customers looking at her as if she was crazy.

She left to the amazement and horror of the other people in the coffee shop and, drinking her hot chocolate, she slowly made her way through the town.

As she was sipping her drink she noticed a magazine cover in a window with large writing about an incident in Stuttgart Germany. The only reason it was news here was the very American billionaire involved in the incident...Tony Stark?

Anna mused that maybe that's why the man was egotistical, and expected everyone to know who he was. Anna did infact know Tony Stark, not well enough to remember his face or even name, but she had read some about his work, a fascinating man to be sure, nonetheless an egotistical man.

He was having a fight with ...Loki?

The god of mischief?

Anna laughed out loud. That was certainly a way to sell magazines. Use the names of gods to entice.

Anna laughed almost the entire way back to her apartment, even giggling to herself in the taxi. She just couldn't believe the gall of people, to use the names of gods as if people would actually be stupid enough to believe this rubbish.

When she reached her apartment, she had a wonderfully scolding hot shower and then dressed all fancy and made her way to Billy's bar.

She spent her evening speaking to Billy, some of it anyway, he of course was working at the helm of a busy bar, but she enjoyed herself. They made jokes and she met new people.

The waitresses and waiters were lovely, as expected, billy ran a great ship. She met Maria the waitress who was married to the chef Tommy, and Elaine was another waitress who had a little boy called Ethan who was 8. Tyson was a waiter, who was going through college to become a radiologist, all were friendly and made Anna feel like she had a whole group of new friends.

Anna went to bed that night, almost happier than when she was in England.

...But all good things must come to an end.


	6. Chapter 6

Anna was in Billy's western themed bar hours before opening. She chose to wear her hair down in the blonde natural wave it came in after air drying from the shower, she wore a simple deep purple top and a pair of thick black leggings, with a pair of plain black dolly shoes to match the comfortable outfit.

She sat and drank Coca-Cola at the bar, talking to all the staff members, who had taken to Anna like a fish to water.

They welcomed her with open arms, in a way that she hadn't really had before. They were warm and loving already, Anna would never want to leave at this rate.

Maria and Tommy were jokingly insulting each other back and forth, Elaine whispered in Anna's ear that this was a common competition between the married couple, the person who couldn't think of an immediate retort to the others insult lost the game. Tyson while preparing the bar for opening was whispering to himself facts on his radiology course, there was clearly a test coming up that he was studying for.

It was a beautiful clear day, not a rain droplet in sight, the sky had a few spotting of clouds but mainly the sun shined through them.

Just before opening Billy decided they needed a day where they could all go out for a fancy hot meal and dancing, an evening away from work and a chance to just enjoy each other's company and get to know Anna a bit more and vice versa.

They were laughing and messing around, pushing each other off of chairs and making jokes at the others' expense, when there was a loud noise that came from outside, making everyone in the bar freeze.

The atmosphere quickly became tense and everyone held their breath, as if waiting for something monumental to happen. Anna timidly made her way over to the window and peaked out the blinds, she saw Tony Stark himself falling to the floor only to catch himself at the last minute and fly back up to the top of his tower. Anna scoffed in derision at the fact she allowed herself to be frightened by one of Tony Stark's stunts, then made her way back to the group laughing "Tony Stark was just showing off."

The group laughed as a collective and sat, ready to begin the conversation again, when the ground around them shook with a trembling force.

The entire group held on to something close to them as the room shook, glasses smashed and wall hangings crashed loudly to the floor. Anna, catching fearful eyes with Billy, shouted "Get down to the cellar!"

Billy and the rest of the group moved towards the cellar door but it all happened too fast. Billy was unlocking the door and before anyone even had a moment to act the building crumbled, the ceiling fell in pieces, forcing the group apart.

Anna, Billy and Elaine on one side ceiling beams having thrown them back and Tommy, Maria and Tyson towards the cellar door as if they had been hit by an overpowering force.

Anna watched as if in slow motion, as her new found friends were crushed, Elaine's leg was torn in to by a large wooden ceiling beam and Billy had a piece of wood sticking out of his chest. The rest had dragged themselves to the cellar.

Anna ran to Billy, "No!" She screamed. Blood bubbled from his mouth and he whispered into Anna's shaking shoulder as she held him close, "I'm ok, save Elaine, I'm ok, I'm ok. Go, go." Anna nodded, tears running down her face, knowing that Billy knew he was about to die but Elaine could be saved. It's just like billy to think about someone else as he lay dying, Anna hadn't known him long but felt an overwhelming sense of loss at the lovable mans death.

Anna choked on a sob as she kissed Billy's forehead, her way of saying goodbye and she let him go and didn't look back as she rushed over to Elaine, and threw the beam off of her.

Elaine screamed with the rush of pain and her eyes widened in shock, no normal human is strong enough to pick up a large ceiling beam. Anna threw Elaine's arm over her shoulder and carried her down to the cellar.

The others were there, holding each other and crying in the corner. Anna placed Elaine in Tommy's arms and pointed to the first aid kit located in the corner and whispered in his ear "I'll find a doctor. I'll protect you guys, stay down here. I'm gonna block the door, it'll be loud, I'll let you out when it's safe." The determination and strength in Anna's voice made Tommy believe every word she said and he firmly nodded and started telling the others the plan. Something in her eyes made Tommy subconcsiously fear and respect Anna, instinctively understanding she was a force to be reckoned with.

Anna was fuming as she threw five large beams at the cellar door blocking it from sight and hopefully from mind for any one who enters.

As she walked out she let out an ear shattering animalistic growl in anger as she saw Billy's dead body flopped to the side, as if dumped carelessly. Someone would pay, he was already the best friend she had and she had only got to keep him for a measly few days.

Someone would pay.

As Anna stormed outside she saw five cyborg looking alien things with guns run towards her direction and the screaming citizens around her, Anna was too angry to think and her supernatural instincts took over her human logic, she didn't hesitate to run towards them, screaming back at the monsters. She was shot on sight but none of the bullets penetrated and she ripped the first two monsters heads off without hesitation. Screaming at them "Is that is all you got?!"

This animalistic woman had no fear and lots of anger.

Although she had not changed in appearance per say, Anna was clearly inhuman. Her lips were pulled back so far in a constant growl, that a regular humans face would have split by now, her hands clenched as if she had talons at the end of her fingernails so as to damage her enemies, and truly her nails were so strong and unbreakable that they may as well have been but her eyes were the main give away, they held such hatred and anger yet such strength and control. Much like the lioness, She was hunting.

The monsters around screamed in anger and began trying to hit Anna but again nothing hurt and she was too angry to care about anything but revenge.

She tore limbs from bodies and punched so hard and with so much power the aliens went flying, she realised after a while they kept coming and looked to where they were coming from.

They were constantly spitting out of some sort of pod alien and Anna growled running towards it at an increasingly incredible speed and as soon as she got near the alien Anna used her built up speed and power to throw her body, breaking it into pieces and killing all the aliens on board.

Anna stood and took a short breath as she took stock of what was going on around her. Her mind returning slightly. Shock almost began to settle in when a loud bang went off to her left and she noticed Captain America, or so she assumed based on the uniform, come flying out of a building with a flash of blue light and smack straight on top of a car.

She knew she didn't have time to be emotional and refused to feel anything until this fight was won.

Captain America rolled straight off the car and stopped for a moment and just stood there, seemingly taking a breath, both stood still, just for a moment.

And suddenly once again, everything sped back up. A man with a red cape flew over top and jumped on one of the flying monsters, as a much bigger animal like monster came towards them, crashing into building after building as if trying to cause as much damage as possible.

Tony Stark flew out of nowhere and went through the monster, destroying it from the inside, like the genius he is.

Anna was in awe.

But not for long as three of the monsters made there way towards her, and she was once again fighting.

She noticed an entire horde of the monsters facing the top of a building and firing. A loud overpowering roar came from the target area, and A large green hulking figure of a man jumped into the horde and began destroying it. Anna stood being shot and punched, standing still in awe of the green man and how incredible he was.

It wasn't until she was thrown to the side by the monsters that she was knocked back to reality...and once again began fighting.

This time she was close to the hulking figure, and they fought in tandem getting closer and closer to one another without knowing it when suddenly they were fighting the monsters side by side.

When the hulk realised there was a person next to him he screamed at her to make her get away from him she just screamed back at him and carried on beating up the aliens.

The hulk was...impressed. She was clearly not a threat and was on their side so he just chuffed in amusement and carried on fighting the monsters, one aimed a large bomb like object at the two, the only way to kick it away from them before it touched the ground and exploded would be the way Anna reacted. She ran towards the hulk and as he knelt down to smash her in anger she used his body to throw herself into the air and kick the device away from the building and landed not so gracefully on her back, looking up she expected an angry hulk to try to crush her instead a hand came down and picked her up and dropped her not so gently on her feet, while at the same moment punching three aliens in the head with the momentum of one punch, the bomb exploding in the air above them. they fought together in tandem, as if it was a violent dance.

Eventually they broke apart and fought separately and lost each other from sight and although Anna and hulk both subconsciously looked for each other, they went in different directions. And didn't see each other again.

Anna ended up fighting monsters five cars away from the blonde with the red cape and Captain America.

Suddenly, almost straight after Tony Stark flew above, the monsters naturally died, falling to the floor without prompt. As if their power source was gone, they just flopped down...dead.

Anna fell to the floor in relief, and sobbed, and sobbed and sobbed.

She cried for the death of Billy and Elaines pain and the fear that the rest of the group must be in and she cried for all the people around her who are dead and the loved ones that are left behind. She cried for herself, she had just fought physically for the first time in her life. She fought aliens. ALIENS for peat sake. She cried and cried until she had no tears left then she took a deep breath and stood, once again strong and resilient, and she walked through the bar and yanked the beams out of the way of the cellar door, screaming down "Its Me, It's Just Me."

As she helped her friends exit the building, helping Tommy with Elaine, she once again took stock. Her body felt no pain and yet the emotional pain made her feel as if she had been cut deep. But she had friends she needed to help and so she took another deep breath and carried on being strong, she'd break when she gets home. Not a moment before.

As she was soaking in a bath later that evening, she noticed a new message on her phone. It said "We know about you. Please come to this location. We just want to talk. This will be a public place to make you feel comfortable." It then added a coffee shop located at the edge of Manhattan, a place that was not affected by the invasion and camera footage of her fighting the aliens.

Anna had never been so scared in her life and didn't know what to think. But she would go, they couldn't hurt her, so what's the worst that could happen?


	7. Chapter7

Anna woke in her bed the morning after the attack, gasping for breath and clutching at her chest.

She had dreamt of Billy, he was smiling and they were talking at the bar when blood began to leak from the corners of his mouth and she had to watch as he once again choked on his own blood, but the cruelty of dreams are they aren't a true account, so instead of telling Anna to go he was begging and pleading for her help, Anna was just a spectator and could do nothing but cry and reach for him without being able to touch. He was crying, and demanding Anna help him he sobbed and asked why she wouldn't save him. He preyed for anybody to help him.

When Anna was able to catch her breath, tears streaming down her face, she whispered to herself that it wasn't her fault and Billy told her to go and help Elaine. He was a wonderful and selfless man and would be sorely missed but she would not blame herself, or at least that's what Anna tried to make herself think. But the awful what ifs popped into her brain, what if she had helped him, what if she hadn't seen Tony Stark's fall and laughed. What if she had told them to go to the basement a little earlier. What if...No. Anna shook her head. The truth is, Billy is dead and she couldn't torture herself over his death. It wasn't her fault and there was nothing she could do about it now.

She called Tommy, to get an update on Elaine's status, she was doing ok, she had a long and painful recovery to come but she was alive and that's what truly mattered.

The entire group was there and said hi. Anna asked if she should come too but Tommy took the phone and took it to a quiet corner and letting out a trembling breath, began to speak.

"Anna, Elaine is my world thank you so much for saving her and I want you to know that we all are so grateful for your help yesterday, there was nothing you could do to save Billy so please don't blame yourself. We have a long road ahead of us, recovery is going to be a bitch but we'll get through it...There is nothing I wouldn't do to protect my Elaine and I'm so thankful you were there to save her when I couldn't. But here's the thing Anna, what you could do, the strength and power you had, that's not normal."

"But Tommy..."

"Wait Anna please, let me get this out before I breakdown and change my mind." Tommy spoke with a hoarse voice as if he was on the brink of crying.

Anna tensed, for some reason feeling like what he was going to say would hurt her, she took a deep ragged breath and waited for Tommy to continue.

"...Anna your powers were a godsend and I'll never be able to repay you...but they are also a magnet for trouble. From my experience people who are unique get a lot of attention and if this attention wanted to hurt or control you they would look to those closest to you. We honestly don't want to let you go Anna and the group would kill me for telling you to stay away but it could put Elaine and everyone in danger to be friends with you, so Anna, although it pains me to say this, the best thing you can do for all of us is to stay away from us. Stay away from the pub. Don't contact anyone. I'll cover your absence on my end but I just want my family and friends to be safe.

...Anna? Please tell me you understand?"

You could hear the tears in his voice and the fact that he truly did not want to say this, but obviously felt it was necessary.

Anna was speechless, and almost choked on her words when Tommy asked her the question at the end of his speech.

Tears streaming down her face once again, true agony in her heart, she laughed and replied.

"Yeah of course, I completely understand. I was thinking it might be time to fly home anyway. Get away from the craziness. Thank you so much for the wonderful memories, I wish you guys all the best. Take care. Tell everyone a relative of mine wanted me home and I got on the first flight back and give them a fake number to reach me at. They should accept that excuse. Take care of everyone Tommy, goodbye."

Before Tommy could reply Anna hung up the phone, a sob heaving from her chest as she broke down falling to her knees. She curled up on the floor and cried for the entire day. She let her emotions encompass her and eventually, once she was too tired to cry or feel anymore she crawled to her bed and dragged herself up and under the covers, and hid from the world. She just hoped tomorrow would bring her more strength.

After the phone call Anna woke the next day and although she still felt broken she she forced herself to jump in the shower and scrubbed her body raw. She would carry on living, her friends were safer without her around, that was a fact and so she would do what's best for them and live separately and just hope they lived wonderful lives.

Trying to wash away the day before, Anna dunked her head in to the now cold water, waking herself up and remembering the anonymous message that was sent to her late the night before last. And she was back to the panicking wreck she woke up as the day before.

It took hours for Anna to get a hold of herself again but once she did, taking deep soothing breaths, she dressed herself in comfortable clothes. She decided a practical approach was necessary, so she planned for the worst outcome possible. She packed a getaway bag, compact and easily hidden. In it she kept her passport, some cash in case her cards could be tracked, and a few items to help disguise herself; a pair of scissors and red hair dye, an unassuming hat and pitch black sunglasses. This would do, she decided, in case of emergency. She then threaded the small bag to the inside of her jacket to keep hidden on her person at all times.

s

This gave her the courage to go outside. She laughed to herself hysterically, she was practically indestructible, what did she have to worry about. No, she would be fine. She would meet the anonymous message sender and tell them straight to leave her alone or they wouldn't like the consequences, she would be strong and firm, intimidating. That would be hard for a five foot nothing blonde, round faced woman to do but she could be intimidating...she told herself.

She was nodding her ascent to her train of thought as she went jogging around the park nearbye to concentrate and give herself an energy boost, even with all the destruction yesterday it was still teaming with life.

After an hour of jogging she had a calm level head and went home to shower and dress for a serious conversation. She would look the part of an intimidating strong woman. As there was no time or date she assumed someone would be watching the area for her and planned accordingly. She wore a comfortable pair of black business trousers and an airy dark blue blouse and blazer, overtop she wore her long coat with the hidden bag attached.

Ready for a bad outcome to this meeting, she set off to the cafe, after calling a taxi. She breathed deep and tuned in to her senses on the way, feeling her environment, the scent, the noises, she would be utterly aware of her surroundings so as not to get caught off guard. When they pulled up, she felt ready and exited the taxi with confidence and after paying the taxi fare she entered the cafe with her shoulders back and her chin up, scanning the room for possible threats.

"Hello and welcome, what can I get you my love?" A friendly looking woman in what looked to be her late fifties, asked with a smile.

Anna broke out of focus and made her way to the desk, "Hi, can I have a hot chocolate please?" She answered with a hint of a tremble in her voice.

The lady smiled sympathetically and patted Anna's hand "of course dear, you take a seat in booth H and someone will be right over."

Anna shook off her nerves and steadied her breathing. She would be strong and insistent, she could do this.

As she sat down she noticed the back room door open and a pretty curvy redhead walked in her direction, hot chocolate in hand.

She strolled over and set the drink gently in front of Anna, Anna thinking she would walk away sipped her drink and turned to the rest of the room.

As the woman sat down in front of Anna, she realised how unprepared she was for this encounter, clearly the old lady was a spy and called the woman out to speak to Anna, they all looked so normal, but as Anna scanned the room her heckles raised, every individual person stood as soon as the woman sat at Anna's table and left the vicinity. They were all in on it.

...oh how unprepared Anna was for this encounter.

The woman seeing the emotions running through the woman opposite her, she cleared her throat, to get Anna's attention and to stop her train of thought from derailing her and forcing her to run away.

"Anna." The woman began, she spoke with a lilting seductive voice "My name is Natasha, we thank you for your help on the battlefield and we're just curious to who you are and your origin story. We wish you no harm or discomfort, we simply wish to understand you." She finished clasping her hands in front of her, ready for all the questions Anna was bound to have.

Anna stared in to Natasha's eyes, then speedily asked "why? Can't you just say thank you and leave it at that. And who is this 'We' you're talking about. Who are you people and what do you want from me?" She said exasperated at the situation, she just wanted a normal life.

Natasha stares back into Anna's eyes, not blinking. "We are shield. Strategic Homeland, Intervention Enforcement and Logistic Devision. To simplify we are a counter terrorism law enforcement, we deal with people and groups the world doesn't want to believe exist. We assess for threats and plan for all eventualities."

Natasha paused, hoping her next words did not set off the unpredictable woman in front of her.

"You are a possible threat we are assessing. We were surprised by you, and we don't take that lightly. Obviously before the attack your record was squeaky clean and so you didn't pop up on our radar. We don't know anything about you apart from your basic life story. And that is not good for an inteligence agency that protects the world from threats. We know you have powers. That is all we know, and for shield that's not enough. If you work with us and just give us a little bit of information we can tick you off as not a threat, unfortunately if you don't..."

Anna spoke over her, with a sharp edge to her voice, her left eye twitching.

"You'll what, Kill me? I'd like to see you try."

Anna had a glint in her eye that made Natasha nervous, yet it gave her a little more information about the mystery girl in front of her, clearly she thought she would be extremely hard to kill, good to know.

"No Anna, we will have to keep a close eye on you, we would have to have someone watching you twenty four seven. I appreciate this would not be comfortable so I am asking that you follow me so we can get enough information about you, that we don't have to make any big impact on your life."

Anna considered this, taking deep breaths to stop herself from fleeing, she could probably get away from a tail and could hide out until they all died ...but that didn't sound very comfortable, as Natasha said, and Shield was a highly intelligent organisation that is not made up of singular people, she could be tracked by their children and their children's children. With that uncomfortable thought in mind she tried to bargain.

"I will allow you to get to know me, I will give you all the information you want. If and only if I am given free reign wherever I go. I will not be supervised, talked down to and most importantly if I ever feel trapped I will disappear. You may catch wind of me every here and there but I promise you I can hide longer than you can look for me. So?" Anna waited for Natasha's response.

She could see the curiosity pouring from Natasha in waves but also a very high inteligence, she was categorising each and every word carefully that Anna spoke into important and unimportant categories. Anna would have to watch what she says very carefully from now on.

Natasha knew this was not an easy task, but hopefully one she could accomplish without any trouble. She would have to try and steer Anna away from any sensitive areas at shield.

But she felt Anna was far too confident in her ability to disappear for Natasha's comforts so she would have to agree otherwise they would never find out about the mystery woman, the woman whom the hulk called attention to when he asked about her after the battle. 'Where little woman' were his exact grunting words and so when a frustrated hulk turned back in to the shy Bruce Banner, shield checked their footage for a 'little woman' that the hulk could have been talking about, and lo and behold there she was, fighting like a fierce warrior at the hulks side. Nothing hurt her or impacted her body in anyway. Shield needed more information.

They looked up her facial records to gain her basic information and then some. Naturally blonde, 5'3 English woman, a full vibrant face with bright blue green eyes and a rather tragic past. Her father passing then her mother, all by the young age of 29.

Nothing out of the ordinary. They had to get more information, there was no other way.

"I accept your terms, however you should still be respectful, if you agree to that and are ready to go, there's a car waiting." Natasha said, raising her eyebrow and at that exact moment a pitch black Audi pulled up next to the entrance.

Anna's eyes widened at the timing "creepy," She whispered to herself as they made their way to the car.

Anna turned to the cafe and the world around her and mentally kissed her normal life goodbye, before she entered the car and was whisked away.


End file.
